The Cleansing
by Kmm1128
Summary: While investigating the mysterious death of a companion protector, the resistance stumbles upon a dangerous conspiracy involving the Taelons.
1. Chapter 1

The Cleansing

Chapter One: Useless Chatting

The Human Liberation could rest easier knowing that there were others out there willing to support them in their cause. There was no place safe on Earth to hide Da'an, so Street let her stay with her in her trailer for a while. Dr. Curzon frequently visited to check up on Da'an, but she became concerned when she found that the kryss substitute that helped the Taelons adapt to Earth's atmosphere was not working on Da'an anymore. Da'an was already experiencing signs of fatigue.

Street had made a small bed out of an air mattress right next to her own bed. She was surprised that Da'an did not find it cramped, but Da'an was too tired to care. She found Da'an in the morning with a blanket over her shoulders trying to get a decent signal on the television.

"There must be clouds blocking the satellite," Street said.

Da'an sighed.

"I know it's not what you're used to, but you're doing pretty well. You've been the best guest I've had, and believe me, I don't invite too many," Street said, trying to make her feel better.

Da'an gave her a confused look. "Oh, did you think that…oh, no. It is not that. I am watching this debate on the Fox News Network."

A curious Street decided to sit down and watch with her. Two white men with black suits, obvious receding hairlines, and glasses were debating with a middle-aged woman on the intentions of the priests, who had just made their arrival on Earth.

"All the Taelons have done in the past four years is lie to us, and now, these new Taelons—allegedly more powerful than the Synod—have come. Their intentions could be just as malicious as the Synod's have been," the woman said.

"Now that's just not true," one of the old men said. The text said he was a reverend of the Church of the Companions. "The Taelons have done more for humanity in the past few years than humanity has done for itself in thousands of years. The arrival of the priests only proves what our followers have been preaching for years. The companions truly are holy messengers sent by God to reinstate the values we have lost and truly better our lives. The arrival of the priests only signifies that humanity is ready."

"For what? Ready for what?" the woman asked angrily.

"To be a part of the universe of course," the reverend answered.

"Well, while I do not agree with the reverend's very religious argument as to the reason for the priest's arrival, I will agree that the Taelons have indeed helped humanity as they said they would," the other old man, who was a respected political analyst said.

"What about the state of emergency in the United States?" the woman, another respected political analyst asked.

"That was about eliminating a terrorist threat to both the people and the Taelons."

"And what of all the other things that have been exposed as malicious projects conducted by Taelons? Human experimentation, genetic tampering, political subterfuge and blackmail?"

"Look at your sources. That information was all exposed by an extremist faction of people known as the human liberation, and cannot be condoned as reliable in any way. It is biased propaganda to keep humanity off the course. We need to stay the course—"

"A thousand points of light," Da'an and Street interrupted with together.

"The priests have said they are only here to observe, and that is what I believe they are here for," the male political analyst said. "Now, we can argue and lead ourselves to believe otherwise, but until we have reliable proof, our beliefs are all merely speculation and nothing else."

"And what do you say to those viewers who ask where we draw the line at reliable proof?" the reporter asked.

"Ugh, that is it. I cannot watch this," Da'an said disgustedly. She flipped to another news channel.

"They've been debating like that since the priests arrived," Street said.

"And that would be fine, but listen to their material," Da'an said still flipping channels. "'This whole debate's obsolete because there is no definite proof.' 'It is all speculation.' Why not debate about why the sky is blue while they are on the subject of speculation? Those charlatans are sitting there debating about nothing and taking up valuable air time that belongs to someone with a clue."

Street laughed. "This is why I don't vote. You know how easily the media can be manipulated. They're just looking for the next big stories to further their own meaningless careers."

"That is sad," Da'an said.

The bleeping of a global interrupted their conversation. "Hello? Hey. No, we're fine. We're just sitting and watching TV."

"Who is that?"

Street ignored her. "I haven't noticed any change, but she's not getting much better. She said it's hard to stand sometimes. No. She can still get around. She's as…enthusiastic as ever, but she tires easily, I guess. Tomorrow morning? Sure it's fine. Wait. Bring what? Oh. Okay. No, don't worry about it. Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow. Okay. Bye." Street closed the global and set it down. "That was Dr. Curzon. She said she might have found the solution to your problems with the atmosphere."

"With what?"

"A new formula, but it's liquid, so you'll have to take it orally."

"Interesting. I have not ingested anything through my mouth for medicinal purposes since I was sixteen."

"Okay, I can think of a thousand different ways to interpret that—all of them wrong."

Da'an grinned at her.

Street laughed. "What about the ritual?"

"I hardly think that qualifies as a medicinal purpose."

"Okay. I'll give you that. How about for eating and drinking?"

"Not since I was three months probably. I really do not remember."

"You Taelons and your damn hands. You've become too dependent on that damn hand."

"You remember what you just told me about the thousands of wrong ways to interpret that?"

"Shut up. What are you gonna do if you lose your precious hand?"

"Simple. I will just grow another one."

Street shook her head. "I hate you."

"No you don't. You love me. Everyone loves me."

"Zo'or doesn't."

"Everyone who counts loves me."

Street laughed. "Auger would probably love you. I hope you and he get some real time to make friends when he gets back."

"Yes. I have been meaning to ask you about that. Where is he, and why did he leave?"

"The FBI's on him for something big. He's skipped the country until the heat dies down. I can't say where."

Da'an nodded.

"Da'an. Can I ask you something?"

"I suppose."

"What was it like? To die, I mean."

"I…" Da'an sighed when she could not finish. "I do not believe all the words in the universe could accurately describe what I went through."

"Was it painful?"

"Yes, but only at first. It passes quickly, and then…there is nothing but darkness. It was a mixture of peace and pain at the same time. You know I still have trouble distinguishing what was real and what was fantasy."

"Did you see the light?"

"No," Da'an said looking at the blue rose in a jar on Street's table. "I saw the rose."

"Oh…um, can I see?"

"What?"

"You have a scar on your hand. Can I see it?"

Da'an observed her hand where two blue dots had made their homes. For some reason, the wound had not healed completely. She let Street examine it.

"Wow. I never thought a Taelon could scar."

"Neither did I."

"Did you feel the poison killing you? Did you…feel yourself going?"

"Pardon my asking, but why are you humans suddenly so obsessed with this? Liam and Renee have been asking me about every little detail trying to distinguish for themselves how much of the ritual was real and how much of it was mere narcotic fantasy."

"Well, we just think it's healthy to talk about stuff like this. You know humans. They want to understand every little detail about death. It's almost like they want to prepare themselves for it by asking people who've been there."

"You should not be in such a hurry to die. What happened to me happened, and that should be the end of it. Every time I reflect on the ritual trying to analyze it logically, ethically, and pathologically I start to feel ill. There are some things that you are better off accepting on faith. There are some questions that have no answers, and the only way you will ever even remotely understand is if it happens to you. But I would not wish that ritual on my greatest enemies."

"So you didn't like it?"

"It's not a question of like. I do not have to like it. I was enlightened by it, and to Nye and her sect that is all that matters. What I meant was that I would not wish the pain and the confusion that ritual caused. I would not wish the impact and the constant worry it left with Liam and Renee. It is a draining procedure on everyone."

"So are you glad that I wasn't there? Do you think that I couldn't have handled it?"

"I don't know. I'm not you. If you want the answer to that question, I am not the one you should be asking about the ritual."

"So what are we gonna do about these priests? How are we gonna free all of those Taelons with a ritual that kills more people than it saves?"

"Tay'jay and his people evolved without the ritual. If I can ascertain how that happened, then I may be able to free the others. However, I can only do so much. The Taelons have to want to be free, and with the priests here, that is going to be extremely difficult to do."

"But you know what they're planning right? Liam said that you saw their strategy."

"I saw bits and pieces of it. There are still some things that I am having difficulty understanding and remembering."

"Well, I guess the only thing I can say is that I respect you."

"Thank you. I respect your curiosity as well."

"Thanks," Street said, trying to think of any more questions she could ask. When nothing came to her, she started thinking of how she could end this conversation. When nothing came to her, then, she just walked to a small nightstand next to her bed where several DVDs were stacked. "Well, um, there's nothing really good on. Wanna watch a movie?"

"Sounds good."

* * *

"What is it?" Da'an asked Dr. Curzon watching the neon green liquid swirl in the small beaker Curzon was holding in front of her.

"It's basically the kryss substitute with a few more additives to adjust to your metabolism," Dr. Curzon explained. "After the many tests we did on you, I've perfected the solution into this."

"And you can make more of this?" Da'an asked.

"More than enough for you."

"That is not what I meant."

"Oh, you mean if others like you decide to come? It shouldn't be a problem."

"Well, why is it liquid?" Street asked curiously.

"Most Taelon medicines are made to produce an immediate reaction. In order to obtain that reaction, the Taelons usually absorb a crystallized version of the medicine through an organ in their hands directly into their systems. The problem is that this solution is too potent to be absorbed immediately. I tried to make it less potent, but it just broke down when I did. Therefore, Da'an will have to take it orally to give it time to filter through her immune system."

"I suppose I should have expected this from a human doctor," Da'an said to herself.

"I heard that," Dr. Curzon said.

"Hey, give her credit. She got it done," Street defended. "Besides, what do you care? You probably won't taste it anyway."

"And thank goodness too because this probably tastes terrible," Da'an retorted.

"You wanted effective, not tasty, Da'an. If you wanted something that tastes good, eat a mint after each dosage," Dr. Curzon played along. She handed Da'an a thermos of the liquid. "Take ten milliliters morning and night. If you have trouble measuring, there's a cup attached to the thermos."

"Are you trying to tell me something?" Da'an inquired.

Dr. Curzon laughed. "Just take it. I'll send you a refill every Sunday. Any other questions?"

"Yes, does my insurance cover for this?" Da'an asked.

"Nope sorry," Dr. Curzon joked. "That'll be two-hundred dollars a week. Oh, and you also owe me for this visit. That'll be an additional twelve-hundred."

"Ms. Palmer will send you a check," Da'an said.

"Freeloader," Street said.

"I was gonna pay it back," Da'an pretended to whine.

The three laughed.

"Seriously, Da'an, it's all taken care of," Dr. Curzon said. "Don't worry about a thing."

Street's global shook, interrupting the conversation. While she answered, Dr. Curzon gave Da'an a small business card.

"If you have any problems, call me at this number," Dr. Curzon told her. "It's on and it's with me all day and night."

"Thank you," Da'an said pocketing the card.

"Yeah, Da'an, you should probably scrap that 'don't worry about a thing' comment," Street said. "Liam just called me and told me homicide came to the embassy. They're asking him questions about a dead protector from Queens last night."

"Why are they asking him?"

"Because they think he was killed by a Taelon weapon. Liam wants you to go with him as a profiler and take a look at the body. Apparently, the new North American Companion's opened an investigation."

"Well, I certainly cannot go as a profiler in these clothes," Da'an said examining the acid washed jeans and lime green, skin tight t-shirt Street had given her.

"Hey, it was the only thing in your size," Street said.

"I know, and it is fine," Da'an said seriously, "but I need something to hide my figure and my face, something that does not stand out as much as this. Just because my body has changed does not mean my face has."

"Shopping time, then," Street said excitedly. "I know! Renee has a discount at Saks Fifth Avenue. They've got clothes that are just perfect for you."

"So _that's_ where Renee gets all those black dresses!" Dr. Curzon exclaimed.

Da'an and Street gave Dr. Curzon an awkward look.

"Well, 'bout time for us to be hittin' the old dusty trail," Street said pretending to stretch. She grabbed Da'an and the thermos and left.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Link

Da'an met Liam at the morgue in New York City in a black business suit with her hair down and slightly curled.

"Dr. Blake, this is Elaine Kingsley," Liam said pointing to Da'an. "She's a profiler for the FBI and the VIU. She specializes in Taelon style murders. Elaine, this is Detective Curtis and Detective Jameson with the New York Police Department."

"I had no idea this was in your jurisdiction," Da'an said to the detectives.

"The man lived in Queens, but the murder took place in New York," Detective Curtis said.

"What's with all the living in here? This is a morgue, ain't it?" a man with a Brooklyn accent called in the background.

"And who the hell are you?" Detective Curtis asked.

"Rembrandt Emerson Dautrive, private investigator hired by the Reyes family to look in on the death of the dearly departed," he said. "Let me guess. I can tell just by looking at you all." He pointed to the two detectives. "Homicide, and based on your attitudes, you either got a problem with me movin' in on your turf or the doughnut shop ran outta jellies." He pointed at Liam. "Liam Kincaid, former protector to the former North American Companion, Da'an. Yeah, I read your interview in the _Times_. You work for what's-his-name. The replacement Taelon with the ugly head and the bad attitude."

"T'than?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, that's the guy," Rembrandt said. He pointed to Dr. Blake. "As the only one of us in a hospital uniform, I'd say you're the morgue doctor. How do you do, sir? And you…" He pointed to Da'an, but his stare was much longer and more focused. He was studying every feature, but mostly, he was staring at her eyes. "…Well, you're just a total mystery, aren't you?"

"I am…Elaine…Kingsley," Da'an said taking his hand. "I am a profiler for the FBI."

"I'm sure you are," Rembrandt said, "and call me Link. All of my friends do." He pulled the hand she had given him to his lips and gave it a light kiss. "Southern hospitality I believe is what you call that."

"Thank you," Da'an said nervously.

"Well, now that everyone's here," Dr. Blake said in frustration, "let's take a look at this body."

Da'an pulled Liam out of the room for a moment. "Elaine Kingsley, Liam? And just when exactly had you planned on telling me about my new identification?"

"There wasn't time to call you," Liam said. "Hubble Urick and Renee helped me create the name and the badge at the last minute. He was just discovered last night."

"Wait. Hubble Urick!" Da'an exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down," Liam whispered. He pulled it out. "By the way here's your ID."

Da'an took it and looked at the picture of a brown-haired woman with green eyes. In fact the only feature she had that was Da'an's was her forehead. "This woman looks nothing like me."

"It's all in the attitude," Liam said. "Just flip it open and flip it closed really fast."

"I do not believe this," Da'an said. "How do you expect me to pull this off? What if I have to work with you in front of a Taelon? Someone is bound to recognize me."

"Renee and I do it all the time. Just act like a profiler. You'll be fine."

"How do I act like a profiler?"

"Just be yourself. Look, I'll be right here with you. Nothing is going to happen. I promise you."

"Is everything all right, sir?" Dr. Blake asked.

Da'an and Liam whirled around to face him.

"Yes, everything's fine," Liam said.

"My…fellow worker did not bother filling me in on the case specifics, and, well, you know how it is," Da'an said trying to be as casual as possible.

"Oh, I understand perfectly," Dr. Blake said. "Don't worry, I'll tell you anything you don't know yet."

"Thank you so much," Da'an said.

Dr. Blake gave all of the observers surgeon masks to shield them from the smell. Liam pulled out his global to record the findings. The doctor opened the body bag to reveal a pale white corpse with the exception of a large burn over his whole chest cavity and several lacerations around his shoulders.

"It looks like he was laying over a grenade to me, doc," Detective Curtis said.

"Well, it wasn't a grenade," Dr. Blake said. "Several lacerations on the upper arm and shoulder areas, a large violet purplish burn centered in the chest cavity—looks almost like a chemical burn initially."

"Have you analyzed a sample of the skin in that area?" Rembrandt asked.

"He does not need to," Da'an said. "I can see it. I can see the traces of Taelon energy on and around the burn."

"You…can see that?" Detective Jameson inquired in a stunned tone.

"That's why she's a profiler," Liam said.

"Well from the crime scene we determined that the assassin followed him," Detective Curtis said.

"He probably knew the guy was following him and tried to lead him to the alley away from the public to prevent injuries," Detective Jameson continued.

"Then, he turns around really sharply, fires his skrill—" Dr. Blake said.

"But he misses, and the murderer gets a chance to fire," Rembrandt finished. "The murderer was the better shot."

"More like he _had_ the better shot," Da'an said. "The lacerations on his shoulder indicate that he was hit with an explosive device. It was probably a casing filled with Taelon energy designed to explode on impact. Of course the assassin would have killed him. He had the better gun."

"So what did he get shot with? A bazooka?" Detective Jameson asked.

"A specially modified C-25 energy rifle," Liam said.

"How in the hell can you be that specific?" Detective Curtis asked.

"The C-25 is the standard volunteer firearm. Only it could have done this much damage, and it is also the easiest weapon we have to modify," Da'an explained. "It must have been modified to carry and launch Taelon explosives."

"Meaning that whoever shot your guy probably worked for us," Liam said.

"So we're looking for a volunteer, possibly from New York who hated this guy enough to take his gun, specially modify it, follow the guy to a dark alley and blow him to smithereens," Rembrandt said. "Gee, and I thought this was gonna be hard. Is there any way to indicate whether it was a man or a woman?"

"I'm afraid not," Dr. Blake said, "but I can say that whoever shot him was at least two inches shorter than him."

"Only by height?" Detective Curtis asked.

"Hey, shut up your mouth," Detective Jameson said hitting his partner in the shoulder. "There's a lady present."

"I think the better question to ask is was this really a domestic dispute between two rival volunteers, or was this a very carefully planned assassination," Da'an said.

"Well, let's go interview the wife and find out just how many people hated this guy," Detective Curtis said.

"Yeah, way ahead of you on that one, pal. She don't know," Rembrandt said.

"Maybe we can sweet talk it out of her," Detective Jameson said giving him a dirty look.

"Fine, it's the government's money not mine," Rembrandt said. He took Da'an's hand again. "But enough about that. I know this little place on Thirty-Fourth that serves the best coffee since the Starbucks craze. Care to join me and compare notes?"

"Well, that is quite a tempting offer, Mr. Dautrive, but I am afraid I must pass. I do not drink coffee," Da'an said.

"That's too bad. You're missin' out. Here's my number," Rembrandt said giving her his card. "Call me if you change your mind."

He escorted her out of the morgue, bowed to her and left.

"Weird guy," Liam said shaking his head.

"Indeed," Da'an said, "but I suppose all the best private eyes are."

"So you're not that big on coffee. How do you feel about Chinese?" Liam asked.

"Uh…I doubt any human foods would do my system any good."

"They have green tea," Liam said in a tempting voice.

"Well why didn't you say so?" Da'an asked.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: The New Agenda

After Da'an's sudden and dramatic departure, things were finally quieting on the Mothership. The priests had arrived shortly after Renee and Liam's return, and they had already sunk their hooks in humanity. Their most basic promise was to do away with all the problems the Taelons had wrought on for humanity to suffer. However, Zo'or suspected an ulterior motive.

The Church of the Companions was on its highest horse when the priests came. They preached to the masses calling the priests the divine messengers that God had promised them. They truly thought that the hour of enlightenment was upon humanity. Their message was slowly and steadily affecting the masses as well, especially third world countries. However, as many as their were who followed the priests, there were many more who protested. Most of the world was growing suspicious of Taelon motives, especially the United States and Europe. While no one was ready to acknowledge the cries for revolution emanating from the Resistance, several Gallup Polls had already confirmed that a majority of the people believed that the Taelons were gaining too much power for humanity's tastes. Humanity was now approaching its crossroads, and both the Taelons and the resistance knew that it would take something drastic to move them in either direction. The question was for whose side would that drastic act favor.

The priests were the ones who had ordered T'than to take Da'an's position. T'than did not grovel to the wishes of the priests as much as they would have liked him to, but both parties had the mutual interest of ridding themselves of Zo'or. T'than, therefore, acted like he was in full support of their new policies.

Zo'or was well aware of the many forces standing against him. In order to proceed with his own agenda, he would have to move more carefully and watch his back all the more closely.

"I do not like this plan," Zo'or told Ku'ni, the South American Companion, after the Synod meeting was adjourned. "It is too loose. The humans are bound to tie us to this."

"But that is the intention of the priests," Ku'ni said. "They want Da'an found, and this is the best way to draw him out."

"I will not argue with their decision to eliminate Reyes. He was a loose cannon. He knew too much. However, killing him in this manner only allows the local authorities to trace his death to us."

"Local authorities will determine that a rogue volunteer with a grudge killed Reyes in cold blood by modifying his weapon."

"That does not free us from all blame."

"It would if the weapon was ours. We can easily say that the weapons we issue our volunteers are not meant for deadly combat unless they are not utilized properly."

"You are a fool if you believe this will not backfire. I am no fool, Ku'ni. I tried this scam before as a campaign against humans modifying Taelon weapons on the black market. I nearly paid for it with my life."

"We are not campaigning against the inevitable. We are merely using this to take back what was lost. We must trust that the priests know what they do. They always have, or they would not be here."

Zo'or turned his back on Ku'ni and faced the dark abyss outside the Mothership. "That is something I cannot do."

* * *

Liam took Da'an to a small café in Chinatown, and he made sure to get a table far away from the public's eye.

Da'an watched Liam curiously try to hold a piece of sweet and sour chicken with chopsticks. Then, she nearly spit out her tea laughing at his attempt to eat it.

"You think it's funny? Why don't you try it?" Liam teased.

"Fine," Da'an said reaching for the chopsticks.

Liam gave them to her only to find disappointment in her perfect grip on the meat upon her first try.

"Open wide," she said in a motherly voice.

"Bitch," Liam said, but he did let her bask in her triumph by opening his mouth to receive the meat. "I'm sticking with the fork."

"So what other news have you to report?" Da'an asked Liam.

"Are you still mad about the ID thing? I already told you that it's temporary. We'll get you a new picture and a new name if you want a little later, but it was an emergency."

"It is fine," Da'an said, "and when I say that, I am referring to the name, not the picture. However, I refuse to dwell on that subject any longer. What do you know about Agent Reyes?"

"He worked for the CIA before he decided to join the companions as a protector. He was Ku'ni's protector."

"And he lives here?"

"No. His family lives here. Apparently something went down in Lima with a member of his squad and Ku'ni gave him some vacation time to try and cool matters down. But I can't say for certain what happened. I was with you when the incident allegedly occurred."

"Whoever did this to him must have really hated him, then, to travel all the way to New York City and kill him with a modified weapon."

"You really think this was an isolated incident?"

"Not in the least," Da'an said. "Zo'or attempted something similar when he transferred his consciousness in a human body and attempted to kill me with specially modified weapons."

"You think this is a conspiracy to get modified weapons off the market because Zo'or's first attempt didn't work?"

"No, I frankly believe the two incidents have nothing to do with each other despite their similarities. Zo'or clearly had the ulterior motive of tapping into humanity's more aggressive fighting instincts. He wanted to understand the primal urge to kill."

"Then, who would kill this guy and why?"

"Perhaps Mr. Reyes knew something he was not supposed to know. I am certain that word travels fast in the companion protector rumor mill. If you want to locate Reyes's killer, start with the people who have access to this type of weapon."

"Volunteers and protectors. You think I should get the word on Reyes through other protectors. I should warn you that I'm not well thought of in the protector world. They think I don't deserve the position since you just gave it to me without any real formal training."

"Well neither did Malley, and they like him."

"They also think that I'm…too hotheaded."

"You _are_ too hotheaded. Liam, I am not asking you to pursue this in any way. If anything, I would prefer to stay as far away from it as I can. However, if your true aim is to bring Reyes's killer to justice, you will just have to get off your high horse and make new friends. Surely there is some protector willing to give you detailed information about Reyes that cares not about your blatantly vocal personality."

"Gee, that just hurt my feelings. All right. I'll talk to Malley. I haven't had any trouble with him so far, even though he is T'than's protector."

"I do not know why in the world he specifically asked to protect T'than. The two are complete polar opposites personality-wise."

"It kinda works out, though. He's become a sort of mediator between me and T'than."

"Liam, I do not want you undermining T'than's authority. If I know T'than, he has most likely sided with the priests seeing as they both have a common enemy in Zo'or. T'than is too close to the priests and too dangerous a person to be taunting with your protests. And T'than's temper is far shorter than mine will ever be. He will not tolerate your outspokenness for long."

"All right. For you, I'll try to keep quiet."

"Thank you."

"Still, I know how timid you are about getting involved in this so quickly after your dissent, but I could really use your help."

"I do not know what more I could possibly do to help."

"As the former head of the volunteer program, you have access to all the psychological profiles of the volunteer units. I was thinking that while I'm interviewing Reyes's co-workers, you could get started on accessing the files on Reyes's units. Find out if any of them fit the profile of someone with a short fuse."

"First of all, I am the _former_ head of the volunteer program. Zo'or took over that program over a year ago, giving them more than enough time to erase all access I could have had to those files. Secondly, I am not a Taelon anymore. I am an Espelon. I cannot play spy on the Mothership or the Moonbase without expecting someone to uncover my altered energy signature."

"But you know all the systems. You could hack in and steal the files."

"The psychological profiles were never digitally stored for that very reason. The best I could uncover are some tapes of psychiatric evaluations, and they do not tape all of them."

"Well, surely you know where they keep them."

"They kept them in a special library on the Moonbase that is run by the FBI, but the Moonbase is more heavily guarded than the Mothership. I cannot walk in there without being detected."

"There must be some way to get those files. They're too valuable to our case to just let go, and it's the only way to narrow Reyes's list of enemies."

Da'an thought for a long time. Instinctively, she placed her hands in her pockets and was surprised when she felt the card Rembrandt had given her. "I think I have an idea."

* * *

Rembrandt sat in his home office overlooking the files of another case he was pursuing along with the Reyes case. It was nighttime, and police sirens could be heard blaring outside. It was to the point where he could predict them like clockwork. He was actually gratified when he heard his global ring.

"Dautrive, PI speaking."

Da'an's face appeared. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I don't sleep as much as I used to," he said. "It's a bit late for coffee, don't you think?"

"Not if you plan on pulling an all-nighter with me on the Reyes case. How are you coming on a list of suspects?"

"Based on what you told me, I've narrowed it down to Reyes's co-workers. Volunteers, companion protectors, employees in the embassy in Argentina, but I can't do anything about interviews without the South American Companion's permission. Have you ever tried calling an embassy? Apparently bureaucratic runaround ain't limited to the DMV."

"Yes, Ku'ni can be quite evasive when he needs to."

"What?"

"Nothing," Da'an said quickly. "I think I may know a way to obtain a list of suspects, but it will require some…field work, if you understand what I mean."

Rembrandt smirked. "I think I catch yer drift."

"Is your address on this card correct?"

"Last time I checked."

"Good, because it is getting quite cold out here," a familiar voice called from behind the door.

Rembrandt breathed an impressed sigh and unlocked the door. "Where have you been all my life?"

"On another world, in a different time," Da'an replied stepping in.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Love at First Sight

Rembrandt stopped by a twenty-four hour convenience store and bought some tea and some food. While he was gone, he showed Da'an to his living room and let her wait for him there. She was looking at some photos of what she guessed were his parents. The mother had long dark hair and looked to be Italian. She was sitting on an awkwardly shaped red couch in a dress of the same color with a wine glass in her hand. The father, in another picture, was white with dark brown hair. He was in a suit standing in front of a theater with another man in a festive mood.

When Rembrandt returned, Da'an immediately put the pictures back where she had found them.

"So do you always stay awake so late?" Da'an asked Rembrandt.

"Yeah, actually," he replied unloading two plastic bags of groceries.

"May I ask why?"

"You may. Four years of military service have made me less in need of the typical sleeping hours."

"I see. So you served in the SI War?"

"Fuck no! I didn't serve in that pussycat fight. Men came home acting like it was the end of the world, and the damn thing only lasted a year. Think they're so decorated just because they had to put up with a year living in trenches. Those pussies don't know what a real war is anymore. _I_ served in a real war. Iraq."

"Wow. Then, how old are you exactly?"

"Thirty-three," Rembrandt replied pouring two cups of hot water that had been boiling in a coffee pot in a small kitchen. He placed a tea bag in each one and let them sit for a moment. "No, I have no qualms telling a woman my age. After what happened to me, I thank God for every day I get."

"I wasn't going to judge," Da'an said. "Personally, I would not mind being thirty-five again."

"Oh, you're not? What are you? Fifty?"

"I should be so lucky. So you served four years. Did you return home a decorated man?"

"I didn't get the Medal of Honor if that's what you're asking, but I did receive a Purple Heart for getting shot in the leg eight times and not dying. I also got promoted all the way to Colonel."

"That's pretty impressive."

"Thank you. Most people just mumble that."

"What? Are they expecting a general?"

"No, they're just wondering how someone who moved that far up the ranks ended up an insomniac private eye."

"Well, that was not my next question, so do not worry. I was wondering how a man who got shot eight times in his legs can walk without even the slightest limp. You must have made a miracle recovery."

"Not really. I just had a damn good doctor working on me," he said handing Da'an a glass of tea.

"I have to ask. I'm sorry, but why did you become a private investigator?"

"It was my dream to become a cop when I was a kid, which pissed off my parents. You see, my dad was a playwright and my mom was an artist. Who else names their kid Rembrandt Emerson? It broke their hearts when I said I had no plans of following in their footsteps."

"I am guessing they cut you off when they discovered your college major."

"You guessed right, and naturally, with no money to put me through college, I signed up. Of course, this was during the Clinton Administration, so I wasn't even thinking about war. I joined the Marines, they put me through three years, then September 11 happened. I got lucky when I didn't get called up for Enduring Freedom. I got to finish my undergraduate year and get a degree in criminal law."

"But you got called up for service during graduate school."

"Took four years outta my life, but I lived through it, went home, and got my master's. After serving in the war, police work just didn't seem like the thing for me anymore. I'd frankly had enough of working for the government, so I became a private investigator."

"Do you like it?"

"It's hard sometimes. It's like running a business. I gotta watch my funds. My loft's what I got to lose if it goes down, but I make do. What about you, Elaine? How'd you become a profiler?" He was examining her features as he asked.

"It…started when the Taelons arrived. I was working at Quantico at the time, and a Taelon came and spoke. I could see his energy aura. My co-workers thought it was strange, so I went to the doctor. When he found nothing wrong with my eyes, I went to the embassy in Washington. I had heard they were hiring protectors. I had no intention of joining. It was just a way to talk to a Taelon about what was wrong with me, but I impressed the North American Companion so much that he put in a recommendation to let me work for the VIU. I am an FBI agent, but I work as a profiler for the VIU. I see energy auras at a crime scene. When they suspect a Taelon or a Taelon weapon involved, they send me."

"Sounds…interesting," Rembrandt said.

"You are quite interesting as well. You are a surprising person, Rembrandt Dautrive."

"Call me Link. All my friends call me Link."

"All right, Link. Where did you obtain the name of Link?"

"This guy who served in the war with me was a communications officer, and his radio broke. It was one of those situations where everything went wrong at the wrong time. We were gettin' slammed and scrambling to get the damn thing fixed. Then, the guy got wounded. I started fiddling with the thing, and out of nowhere, I get a signal. The soldiers all said I had to be the luckiest son-of-a-bitch ever. They all called me Link afterwards, and the name just stuck."

"So after you returned from war, how did your parents take it?"

Link shook his head. "I stopped talking to my parents after I joined up. I haven't heard from them since."

"I am sorry. I know what it is like to be without a family."

"Your parents hate you too?"

"My parents are dead. My…mother died birthing me and my father spent the rest of his days trying to murder me. He never…approved of my gifts. He thought I was a sin against nature. However, it is not my parents that I was referring to. It is my child."

"You have a kid?"

"I used to. He and I had some disagreements. We have not spoken to each other since then."

"Sounds like we've had the same lives down the road."

"Not completely, but yes…I believe so."

Link sat closer to her and stared at her. Da'an did not understand his purpose, but she became even more confused when she found herself lost in his hazel eyes. Both seemed to be examining each other very closely as if they were looking for something invisible to the naked eye. There was something odd about Link, something that he was not telling her. She placed her hand on his shoulder trying to feel his aura. Link took it and brought it to his chest over his heart. As she felt its beating increase, she found herself trembling. Suddenly, he pulled her in and kissed her. Instinctively, Da'an tried to push him away in fear that he would discover that she was an alien, but he would not let her go. As her body relaxed and embraced him, she saw a blue light begin to illuminate his torso. They both pushed each other away and stared at each other. Da'an felt herself instinctively blush, and she rose from the sofa to try and leave.

"Hey wait!" Link cried grabbing her hand.

"I am sorry. This was a mistake."

"What mistake?"

"Please. I have to leave now."

"No, wait. You can't." Link said trying to hold on to her.

"Please let me go. This is not possible."

"What's not possible? Having a relationship with a Taelon?"

Da'an stopped immediately and looked at him. "How did you…?"

"The same way you found out about me. I felt it. I felt it the moment I saw you at the morgue. I know who you are, who you really are."

"Then, you also know why that kiss was a mistake."

"You've changed since I last saw you," Link said placing his hands on her head. He pushed her hair back into a ponytail. "But you're Da'an, aren't you? You're the North American Companion."

"Yes…I am. And who exactly are you, Rembrandt Emerson Dautrive?"

"What does it matter?"

"It matters to me! You have Taelon energy inside of you, energy that attracted me."

"And you're worried that it's my energy you're attracted to and not me."

"I am worried that it's the other way around. I have never felt this way for any human, and I doubt you care for the appearance of many Taelons."

Link sighed. "Look, I don't know why I was attracted to you in the first place, and frankly I don't care. If it's me you're worried about, and I'm telling you there's nothing to worry about, why are you so scared?"

"Because you are a human, regardless of how much Taelon energy you carry inside of you."

"Is that what you see? A Taelon and a human? Because all I see is a man and a woman."

"I do not even know you, and you do not know me."

"We can learn," Link said stepping closer to her.

"Under any other circumstances, we never would have met," Da'an said trying to back away from him. The wall kept her from getting any further, and she began to tremble again.

"And yet, we're standing right here, staring at each other, trying to analyze a relationship that hasn't even started yet."

"I am trying to prevent it from starting."

"For what purpose?"

"To keep you from getting hurt."

"From what? The kiss? Your past? Your position? Because I want to know exactly what it is about me that scares you so."

"You do not frighten me," Da'an panted trying to hold her own against him as he moved even closer to her.

"Then, why are you trembling?"

"Why are _you_ blushing?" Da'an asked back watching his torso glow blue once again.

"Affection doesn't always follow the rules, you know," Link said putting his hand in front of her eyes.

"Affection _never_ follows the rules, or else your people would be barren like mine," Da'an said bringing her hand to his palm.

"Then, you're afraid because you've never felt affection period."

"I have felt affection, but I have not felt it in a long time, and what little passion I shared with my mates was short."

"You're scared that this will all be just as short, and when it ends, you think _I'm_ the one who will hurt more than you."

"In all of the knowledge I have of the universe and its laws, none of this should be even remotely possible."

Link clinched her hand. "Then, at least we can say we tried."

Da'an nervously wrapped her fingers around the hand that held her. She blushed when she found both their hands glowing blue. She honestly could not remember when or why she surrendered to her passion, but when she recovered, she found herself locked in an embrace with him showering her neck with kisses.

* * *

As he walked down the hallways looking for Malley, Liam wondered why he had not seen any Taelon technicians. Normally, he would have run into two or three by now. He found Malley undergoing a check-up in the Infirmary. Zo'or had replaced Mit'gai with another Taelon _lu'yoi_ named Ta'lay. T'than had asked for Ta'lay to perform a check-up on Malley because apparently, Ta'lay was the best. He was even more skilled than Mit'gai, and he had worked with humans more than Mit'gai as well, especially in Britain, where he had been the Western European Companion's personal _lu'yoi_ before Zo'or promoted him.

"How's it going, Liam?" Malley said in a purple Taelon hospital robe for the check-up.

"Well, I've been investigating the Reyes case, and we've determined that he must have been killed by an altered Taelon weapon, a weapon that only implants and volunteers have access to."

"You think I killed him?" Malley joked.

Liam scoffed. "No, you were in San Francisco with me when he got killed," he lied, placing his hands on hips.

"I've got to watch out for you," Malley said with a chuckle.

"You knew him. I was wondering if you knew anything about why he got discharged by Ku'ni."

"He didn't get discharged. He just got put on leave," Malley said. "Ow!"

"Oh, stop it," Ta'lay said in a British accent. "Not even Liam whimpered when I drew his blood, and he complains even more than you do, about nothing, might I add." He jerked the needle out of Malley and pumped the blood into a test tube.

Liam laughed.

"You gotta love him," Malley said about Ta'lay. "Anyway, I can't really say anything about it since I wasn't there, but I can tell you what I heard."

"Fill me in."

Malley looked at Ta'lay.

"I understand. I will be back with your test results," Ta'lay said leaving with the test tube.

"I think the Taelons are more paranoid about a protector with diabetes than the humans," Malley said. "I kept telling T'than I was fine."

"You know how paranoid he is. I don't think he's ready to bet his life on you skipping a check-up just because you feel fine."

"Well, about the incident, I heard it was a dispute about the priests. Reyes said he heard Ku'ni arguing with another Taelon about something called the cleansing. Reyes tried to tell the people in his unit about it, and I guess opinions conflicted, gauntlets were cast, and before you knew it, there was an all-out fistfight."

"Is there anyone who might have been so angry about it that they would have followed him to New York and killed him?" Liam asked.

"Try asking Carlos Dominguez. He's the Latin American Companion's protector, and he was allegedly there when the fight broke out. Rumor has it that it was his companion that Ku'ni was arguing with."

"Thanks for your help."

"No problem, and Liam," Malley said. "Try not to piss off anyone over there. Those Hispanic countries are fiercely loyal to the companions, and they're not as quick to tolerate resistance sympathizers as I am."

"Yeah, I've been in enough pissing contests with them to know."

"Liam, I'm serious. Something big is happening around here with the priests, and it's got all the companion workers on edge. This is the wrong time to be pinching people's nerves."

"I'll be careful, and again thanks for your help," Liam said.

On his way out, Ta'lay grabbed his shoulder.

"You always snoop around like that?" Liam asked offensively.

"Only when the topic interests me. About the argument you and Malley mentioned with Ku'ni, I can tell you all about it."

"You were there?"

"No, but Taelons are just as open to the rumor mill as humans are. I have seen it all around the Mothership. Taelon technicians and pilots have suddenly begun to fall seriously ill, and we _lu'yoi_ have been unable to decipher the cause. Therefore, they are taken to a sealed off section of the Moonbase where the priests are. The priests say it is a virus, and only they can cure it. The argument between Ku'ni and Ma'lik was about the virus."

"What about Reyes? Where does he fall into this?"

"After he heard the argument, he did some detective work on his own and found something he should not have found. The rumor along the protector's mill is that the argument about what he found turned into an argument with his unit about his loyalties and that was why he was murdered, but the Taelon rumor is that he was assassinated by the priests because he knew something about the cleansing."

"Haven't any Taelons tried to investigate?"

"Allegedly the First Minister Xia'tan was investigating when he fell ill as well. I have not heard from him since he was taken to the Moonbase. The priests have suspended all Taelon activities there and sent all Taelons who were there to the Mothership. They say it is contaminated."

"Oh my God!" Liam whispered to himself.

"What is it?" Ta'lay asked.

"Uh, thanks for all your help. I just realized something. I've gotta go," Liam said quickly, and he rushed to the nearest portal he could find. _I never should have gotten her involved._

* * *

When Da'an awoke, it was still in the wee hours of the morning. Link was in his office working on something. She picked up the mug in front of her and poured out the stale tea. In a bag she had brought with her was the thermos Dr. Curzon gave her. She replaced the tea with the green liquid and walked towards Link's office.

She found him working on a laptop computer with nothing but the bright screen as his source of light.

"Are my schematics of the Moonbase of any help?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, come on in. Sit next to me," he said pointing to the small chair on the other side of him. Da'an pulled it up next to him. In front of her was a notepad with a list of directions and on the screen were the blueprints of the Moonbase. "You were right. They do guard this place well. It's like a damn labyrinth."

"It _is_ a labyrinth. We designed it that way. I estimate that it is about the size of Texas."

"Yeah I figured," Link said glued to the screen. He took her hand and said, "I can feel you staring at me. Worried that we did something naughty?"

"Of course not. I am still…nervous I suppose…about all of this."

"Well don't be. It'll be all right. The library's over here, and there's a portal about sixty meters away from it. I need a badge to get in."

"If you have a recent photo of yourself, you can use mine. They never look."

"Well, I'm also gonna need the approval of someone in the higher ups."

"I could forge a Synod mandate for you."

"All right. I guess if something goes wrong, I'll need an quick exit."

"I regrettably cannot give you anything. Security is too tight. You will simply have to get to the portal as fast as you can."

"Okay, then. So can I really just walk in and walk out with a bunch of confidential papers about volunteers?"

"No, but you can walk out with copies of them, and they have a copying machine in the library," Da'an joked.

"Thank you. That's very good to know," Link said humorously.

"Be careful then. I suspect that the priests are staying in the Moonbase, and they have the authority to travel anywhere at any time. If you do come in contact with them, do not do anything to arouse their suspicions. Answer any questions they ask you with short monotone sentences. You are to bow to them and always address them as either your majesty or your holiness. Also, do not come within six feet of them and never look directly at their eyes. Always keep your head down. It is improper for a commoner to glare at his superiors."

"I'll remember that. Thanks for keeping me company tonight."

Da'an smiled. "Thank _you_."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Alliance

When the sun rose, Da'an had finished with the mandate and had pasted Link's picture on her FBI badge. Link checked the mandate, which was programmed into his global in his living room over a fresh cup of coffee.

"That looks real," Link said impressed with what he saw. "How did you forge thirteen different signatures that well?"

"Because we do not sign our names. We use symbols, and over a thousand years of looking at the signatures of the same individuals has left me with a photographic memory. If President Thompson was allowed to be in office longer, I could probably get his signature down to memory as well."

"You are scary," Link said.

"No, I am an alien."

"Oh. Well that justifies everything."

Da'an shook her head, but she jerked when she felt her global vibrating. "I do not like these things," she complained. She opened the global. "Yes?"

The picture was scrambled and shaking. Da'an had to look closer to find out that she was looking at a blue wall. "Da'an…help me, please!" an agonized voice cried. "You cannot let them take me!"

"Mi'en? Mi'en, is that you?"

"Da'an…please help me," Mi'en's voice moaned. "Please. I do not want to go. Do not let them take me."

"Mi'en, what is happening?" Da'an asked anxiously. Link's coffee mug began to shake violently.

"Please, Da'an! No! Let me go, please. I don't want to go," Mi'en cried in a waning voice. In the background, Da'an could hear footsteps and frantic voices.

"Mi'en. Where are you? Where are they taking you?"

All Da'an could hear was the faint moaning of her friend. Then, the screen went black.

"Mi'en!" The coffee mug exploded, and Da'an dropped the global and fell on the couch.

"What happened?" Link asked kneeling in front of her. "Da'an, look at me. What happened?"

Da'an suddenly hunched over and winced at the pain emanating from her head.

"Da'an. Talk to me," Link said firmly.

"Mi'en. My friend. Something is wrong with her," Da'an groaned still clinging to her forehead trying to fight the pain.

"Don't worry. We'll find out what's going on," Link said.

"G-Give me the global," Da'an said reaching for it.

Link picked it up and gave it to her. She began frantically dialing. Liam's face appeared.

"Da'an! Thank God you called. I was just trying to call you. I got a busy signal."

"Because I just got a call from Mi'en," Da'an said. "I think something terrible has happened to her."

"Did she say anything?"

"She was in pain. She kept begging me to help her—to not let them take her. Liam, was Mi'en at the Moonbase or the Mothership?"

"Not that I know of. I'll call Renee and see. She might know, but Da'an, if something has happened to Mi'en, then, I need to tell you this now. You have to stay away from the Moonbase. Don't go anywhere near there, and don't send anybody there either."

"Why?"

"Because the priests are there. I heard from a Taelon named Ta'lay that Taelon pilots and technicians have been falling mysterious ill and are being hauled to the Moonbase to be cured by the priests."

"Wait. _Pilots_ and technicians?"

"Yeah."

"Oh no. Liam, they have taken Mi'en!"

"Aw shit," Liam muttered. "Da'an, stay there. I'm coming to get you. We'll go to the lair together and find out what's going on."

"It is all right, Liam. Rembrandt can take me there."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. He is right here. I will be fine."

"Okay, but be careful. I'll meet you there."

Da'an nodded and closed the global.

"Let me guess," Link said. "We're scrapping the mission."

"Not if I can help it," Da'an said. "Not with Mi'en captive. I have to return to Washington. You would not mind going with me, would you?"

"No problem. Let's go."

* * *

"Why in the hell didn't you protect her?" Liam demanded in the lair.

"She was afraid that taking a human would blow her cover, so she went alone," Hubble replied defensively.

"You could've sent me! I was on the Mothership when—I am not believing this. Do you know how much you've complicated the situation? And you don't even care!"

"You're damn right I don't," Hubble shot back. "You complicated things the moment you put that traitorous bitch in my hands, and now I'm suddenly supposed to take the blame for problems that _you_ caused?"

"You son of a bitch! Don't you ever speak about her that way! She nearly died for us! She's risking her life just being on this planet every day for us!"

"Don't you ever speak to _me_ that way!" Hubble shot back. "I can just as easily strip that pretty little rank you never earned as T'than, and this time, you don't have your guardian angel Taelon to protect you."

"Will you two put your dicks back in your pants and focus on the situation at hand?" Renee cried. "Mi'en is our friend and our ally, and she's been captured. Who in God's name cares how she got that way?"

"And in the meantime, he's going to sit in his big giant office drinking champagne with the president and getting richer and richer by the hour," Liam spat glaring at Hubble. "You sit there and play with people's lives, and you expect _me_ to feel bad about it! You know, I didn't have everything handed to me on a silver platter even though you'd like to think so. I've dedicated my life to saving lives and helping people. Renee and I are out there busting our asses every night covering up or fixing messes that your president helped create."

"He's your president too."

"I didn't vote for him."

"You didn't vote period. You were too busy playing hero when you should've been serving your country by doing what every race, religion, and ethnicity had to fight to do—had to _die_ to do. Don't blame me for trying to make the situation less worse than it already is, when you keep taking actions to make it this bad."

"Guys, I'm being serious now! Let this go right now!" Renee warned.

"How in God's name do I make it any worse than it already is?"

"Let's start with this 'special' relationship you have with Da'an. It makes you weak. After all that Taelon has done with the rest of her species, you still come crawling back to her. I know her kind. I work with them every day."

"Why don't you take the stick out of that misshaped gear you call an ego?"

"You've got quite a big one yourself."

"Am I interrupting something!"

Liam and Hubble turned to see Da'an standing in front of the elevator with Link.

Renee sighed. "What did I tell you?"

"We were…just discussing what to do about your friend," Hubble said after clearing his throat.

"Oh, really?" Da'an said walking up to face him. "Tell me then, what exactly do my position and my past have to do with that?"

"It was just frustration, Da'an."

"No, frustration is hitting a punching bag. Frustration is verbally abusing the television, and you still have not answered my question."

"I stand by everything I said," Hubble said firmly.

"Oh, I know you do, which is why I also know you will humbly explain to me why you accuse me of playing with human lives while you sit there and send my people to their deaths."

"An eye for an eye."

"A hypocrite's pitiful justification. I do not have to explain myself to the likes of you, and I certainly do not need your charity. The moment you have a problem with me, I can leave just as easily as anyone else in this room. Oh wait a minute. I forgot. You want me on your side to help you battle the Synod and the priests. Perhaps I should just leave because apparently my presence is making your lives just too easy. You want to know what I think of you, Mr. Urick? You are nothing more than a spoiled child. You cannot accept people's help even when they are staring at you right in the face. I may not be a saint. I will grant you that much, but I can at least say that I am not that foolish."

Hubble sighed and sat in his chair.

"I do not care how you put Mi'en in this situation. I do not care about the past anymore, and I certainly do not care about you," Da'an said firmly. "Right now, the only thing I care about is freeing Mi'en and anyone else who wants it. Now, I do not want to hear another word about used-to-be's and sins of the past, especially from you two."

"But Da'an, I was—" Liam tried to say.

"_Not_ another word!" Da'an interrupted firmly. "Save it for whatever divine force you worship because that is where I take all my sins."

Everyone was quiet while Da'an stepped towards the computer.

"May I break the silence for a moment and ask how are we gonna save this Taelon?" Link asked.

"Who…?"

"Renee, this is Rembrandt. He is a private investigator hired by the Reyes family to ascertain the cause of his death," Da'an introduced before Renee could finish.

"I guess if you're looking for Reyes's killer, you were bound to come into contact with us," Renee said.

"Well, don't worry. Your secret's safe with me," Link promised. "I'm just here to help."

"Then, maybe you can help us figure out a way to get Mi'en back," Renee said.

"Already taken care of," Link said handing her his global.

Renee opened it and found the forged mandate. "This is…this is a perfect replica. How in the hell did you do this?"

"I didn't. She did," Link said pointing to Da'an.

Liam had already rushed to Da'an's side and was overlooking the latest schematics of the Moonbase. He pointed to a section at the very center of the pentagon structure. "That whole section's sealed off. That has to be where they took her."

"That is also where we will find Reyes's killer," Da'an said. "It is where we will find everything."

"I take it you know what the priests are doing," Renee said.

"I know exactly what they are doing, and I know why they are doing it. Link can use that mandate to get inside. Once we are inside, I will free Mi'en."

"It's too dangerous for you to go," Hubble protested.

"Is that genuine concern I hear?" Da'an asked harshly. "Mi'en will not respond to anyone but me."

"You talk about her like she's your dog," Hubble said.

"Instead of second-guessing my judgment, perhaps you should get to work forging more special agent badges for my colleagues."

"Fine then. I'm just glad I could be of some help to you," Hubble said cynically. He rose from his chair and marched out of the lair.

"You just trash-talked one of the president's key staff," Link told Da'an.

"And?"

"Uh, nothing," he replied timidly. "Just thought I'd point that out."

"He is never going to forgive you for that," Renee warned.

"What? Oh, I apologize. You must be confusing me with the Da'an who gives a damn."

Nobody even attempted to reply.

"Damn," Link commented under his breath.

"And she calls _me_ hotheaded," Liam whispered to Link.

"Did she really say that?" Link whispered.

Liam nodded.

"This is awesome," Link laughed quietly.

* * *

A strange feeling interrupted T'than's sleep. Malley was working on a new firewall with a system maintenance employee on the graveyard shift. When Malley heard his companion bolt upright from his chair, he rushed to investigate.

"Is everything all right sir?" he asked.

"I doubt it. I sense the presence of someone close to me," T'than said. "Someone I have not seen in ten years. I am going to the Moonbase."

"But sir, I thought the priests had the Moonbase quarantined due to the illnesses."

"Indeed," T'than said aloofly activating the datastream.

Zo'or's face appeared. "What in the name of all that is good and holy could be so important that you interrupt my slumber?" he asked sharply.

"You are no doubt aware of the recent spread of illness in the Taelon community?"

"Who isn't? What do you care? The priests are handling it."

"My sibling has fallen ill."

"Mi'en?"

"Yes. I have felt it."

"Do you always call your family 'it'?"

"Only the _para'shims_."

Zo'or sighed. He was not in the mood to get involved in a family affair, especially concerning a family as bizarre as T'than's. "Is there some point to this conversation that obviously has absolutely nothing to do with me?"

"Surely you are not so naïve that you have forgotten about Mi'en's condition."

"Everyone knows about Mi'en's problem. It is why he left in the—oh."

"I know Mi'en. It is a submissive creature, my sibling. It would not have returned unless it has found a new master."

Zo'or chuckled. "So the priests are using Mi'en as bait to lure my parent into a trap. I guess Reyes was not a big enough incentive."

"Exactly."

"Then, what is it that you want? A front row seat to the death of two birds with one stone?"

"That would be nice, but you know just as well as I do that something foul is afoot. The priests have informed the Synod that their original plan was to lure Da'an to the Moonbase in order to expose her to the virus. The priests would cleanse her, and at the moment of her weakness convert her to our side again. However, now that my sibling has fallen ill, I am beginning to grow concerned about this virus. I find it interesting how…selective this new virus is in its victims."

"Elaborate."

"The virus, for the moment, only appears to be attacking the lower caste Taelons. Mechanics, pilots, lab aides."

"Are you a fool? That is all that makes up the Moonbase, and that was where the virus started."

"But Mi'en was nowhere near the Moonbase. How could it have contracted the virus?"

"How can you be sure?"

"Because the Moonbase is too fortified a facility for Mi'en to just walk in unnoticed, especially now."

"You are closer to the priests than I am. Why not just go up there and ask them yourselves?"

"Do not play me for an idiot, Zo'or. You know just as well as I do what is going on. Every Taelon knows, but they are afraid to say it. They fear that just thinking it will direct the 'virus' towards them. They simply sit and take the priests' word that we will be protected."

"Cleansed," Zo'or corrected.

"Yes."

"What do you propose?"

"I have grown tired of this game of cat and mouse that we have played ever since I first arrived. The Taelons face a much bigger menace now. I know of your plans, Zo'or, and I know of the priests'. There is no room to stand alone anymore, and, as a strategist, I must pick a side, the side that I truly believe is the lesser of two evils."

"You are suggesting a truce, then. Why should I even bother to accept? For cheats like you, truce only means time to reload your weapons so that you may shoot me in the back with full force when I least expect it."

"Because you and I both refuse to serve under anyone. We both seek the same thing: dominion—dominion over the Commonality. I am not a slave, and neither are you, but those who serve the Commonality will be slaves forever. In order to become masters, we must become the controllers. Oh, and might I add that stopping eight extremely powerful beings is not easily done. It requires support—unanimous support. Right now, my allies are keeping you from gaining that unanimity. Together, we will have enough consciousness on our side to tip the balance. Finally, what better way to vanquish your enemies and gain allies at the same time?"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Zo'or thought to himself. "Hmm."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: The Cleansing

Mit'gai blazed past Ta'lay when he entered the medical lab to obtain some samples. Ta'lay continued his work as if he had not heard Mit'gai. Mit'gai thought he could obtain the samples quickly, check them, and walk out just as quickly, but jealousy got the best of him. He had to say something.

"Enjoying my position I see," he told Ta'lay grumpily.

"Letting the green-eyed monster take a hold of you, I see," Ta'lay retorted.

"You had no right to steal my position," Mit'gai said. "I served under Kee'sha for twenty years trying to take his place, and you robbed me of it as if it was nothing."

"_I_ served under _Ne'eg_ for _thirty_ years, and had Quo'on not died before naming a replacement to that blundering idiot Kee'sha, he would have chosen me for that reason alone. However, this entire argument is mute. I did nothing to 'rob' you of anything. Zo'or did so because he could not stand your incompetence anymore. The only reason he tolerated it in the first place was because of your loyalty. You dug your own grave the moment you chose to commit subterfuge with Da'an. It is not my fault that you crack under pressure."

"You were involved, Ta'lay. I know it. You enticed some Synod member to recommend you for that replacement."

"Is it your lost position that hurts you, or is it the fact that I am its replacement?"

"You, Da'an, Zo'or, T'than—all of you. You are all the same. You manipulate people and words in order to further your own agendas. You trample hard-working, decent individuals like me in order to further your own goals. The medical caste, like all other castes, used to be about who was the best, who was the most experienced, and who was the most deserving. Now it is just about politics."

Ta'lay pretended to be thinking really hard. "I apologize. I am merely trying to figure out which of those three categories you spoke of accurately describes you."

Mit'gai blushed in anger. "It is all secrets and lies with you and your kind Ta'lay, and you will pay dearly for your treachery."

"Excuse me, Mit'gai, but I have worked just as hard for this position as you have, if not, harder!" Ta'lay said angrily. "I was more qualified than you to begin with. You think that my taking your position was hard? Try being in my position. I was the most highly regarded Taelon surgeon next to my own master. He spent twelve years teaching me everything he knew, and another eighteen preparing me for this. All of that work, all of that commitment—wasted the moment he died and was replaced by Kee'sha! And to add insult to injury, I was passed up again by you! You really want to know what separates you from me? _I_ actually care about the welfare of my patients, and I have the skills and the compassion to always put them before myself and do what is in their best interests. That was the first thing Ne'eg taught me. He said that if I remembered nothing else, I was to remember that! The real difference between you and me is that I _like_ what I do, and I would never change it for the world. So what if I played the part of the mole? So what if I gave Zo'or a little push in my direction? It was all for the greater good and in all honestly it was inevitable. I just made it happen a lot faster than it would have."

"You claim that you care for your patients? How is furthering your own career in their best interests? You are nothing more than a rat, Ta'lay. That is all you will ever—"

A sharp pain prevented Mit'gai from completing his insult. The pain was so unbearable that he could not see or speak. It felt as if someone had driven a hot steel rod through his head. Ta'lay let all his anger towards Mit'gai slip away and rushed to his aid. He caught Mit'gai just as the Taelon began to collapse from the pain. He place Mit'gai in a bed and began to check his vitals.

"Mit'gai. Hold on," Ta'lay said urgently. "I am going to give you a sedative to dull the pain, and then I will commence an internal scan."

Mit'gai was in too much pain to respond. Ta'lay returned with the sedative and was ready to give it to Mit'gai when the same agonizing pain took him. He collapsed over Mit'gai and was stricken completely blind. He could not find a way off Mit'gai if he wanted to.

Mit'gai began knocking his head against the hard bed in a vain effort to dull the pain. Ta'lay thought he heard Mit'gai cry for help and felt for his hand. When Mit'gai felt a hand take his, he squeezed as hard as he could. He was too delirious to know whose it was, and he did not care either.

A dark shadow grabbed Ta'lay and pried his hand from Mit'gai's.

"Your time with humanity has infected you, Ta'lay," a raspy voice whispered. "You must be cleansed."

"No," Ta'lay whimpered. "No!"

* * *

As quickly as he was able, Liam obtained and prepared a shuttle. The plan seemed simple enough. Link and Renee would enter the Moonbase disguised as FBI agents and make their way to Central Command, the control center for the entire security system. Upon disabling security, Liam and Da'an would enter and find out what was happening to the Taelons.

"Whoa. Hey, Da'an, I just figured something out," Link said.

"What is it?" Da'an asked urgently.

"I have been awake for three years straight," Link said. "You think Guinness has a record for that?"

Da'an chuckled. "Probably. They have a record for who can spit crickets the farthest."

"Three…_years_?" Renee asked, who had overheard him.

"Yeah," Link answered casually.

"What are you? A vampire?" Liam asked.

"Nope, just an insomniac," Link replied. "You know, if we get outta this alive, I have no clue how I'm gonna break the news to Reyes's family that this was all a conspiracy."

"You'll think of something, Link," Da'an said.

"Da'an, what the hell is that?" Liam asked pointing to a large foreign structure near the shuttle station.

A large black temporary structure had consumed the entire shuttle station. The only way in was through a hole large enough for only one shuttle at a time to pass through. Through the small windows, they could see volunteers all wearing biological hazard suits and oxygen masks. As they got closer, they saw brilliant blue flashes from an enormous portal. Four stretchers with sick Taelons in each one appeared and were pushed beyond their sight.

"What in God's name is going on?" Renee asked in bewilderment.

"They have quarantined the Moonbase," Da'an said. "That is a decontamination bubble. We only use it when there is an epidemic and we need to isolate the infection."

"Wait a second. If there's an infection on the Moonbase, why are they sending people right into it?" Link asked.

"They are only sending the sick ones," Da'an said. "Those Taelons must have come from the Mothership, and they are sending them in groups."

"Ta'lay told me about this," Liam said. "He said a virus is infecting everyone, and they're sending the sick ones to the priests to get cured."

"Why in the hell are the priests there if there is a virus on the Moonbase?" Link asked. "And even if there was an infection, why aren't the priests sick too?"

"I bet the priests brought the virus with them," Renee said. "They probably deliberately infected the Taelons so that they could cure them. Any Taelon doubters would renounce their faith, revere them as heroes, and word would spread to humanity."

"Every station looks like that from what I can see," Da'an said. "I had not anticipated that. Liam, go to the Mothership."

"What? Are you kidding?" Liam asked, giving Da'an a worried look.

"We have to. The only way we can slip in the Moonbase unnoticed now is if we are volunteers like them. Fly to the Mothership, and do it casually."

* * *

The shuttle docked with the Mothership. Sandoval was there to meet Liam when he heard Liam's voice on the comm. When the small ship opened, Sandoval was ready and waiting.

"Major, explain why you're here," Sandoval said.

Liam walked out of the shuttle cautiously, trying to keep Sandoval's focus away from the back of the ship. "As you know, I'm investigating the death of Agent Reyes. Some volunteers in his unit are here now, and I'm going to interview them."

"That won't be necessary," Sandoval said. "I already have. They don't know anything."

"Well, I'm not calling you a liar, but I'd like to hear it with my own ears if that's okay," Liam said.

"Now's not the time for this," Sandoval said. "We have a bigger problem on our hands right now. Look around, Major. What do you see?"

Liam looked. "Ships…not as many as I'd like to see."

"Anything else?"

Liam was no fool. He knew exactly where Sandoval was going with this. "There aren't any Taelons here."

"Exactly."

"What's happening here, Sandoval?"

"I was hoping that you could help me figure that out," Sandoval said.

"Uh…excuse me?"

"This alleged 'virus' that has infected the Taelons is surprisingly selective. It's started with the lowest Taelon castes and is working its way up. I've noticed it because I've seen it. Taelon pilots first started becoming infected, and then the technicians. Now, it's worked its way up to the doctors and the scientists. Ta'lay and Mit'gai just fell ill about an hour ago."

"What?" Liam asked in astonishment.

"It started a few days after you returned from Nye's clutches. Taelons pilots started falling ill with terrible headaches and shortness of breath. The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with them, so the priests took them to the Moonbase. Little by little, more Taelons got sick. Now, however, they've started coming back. I directed the Taelon pilots back to their stations on the Mothership. Their eyes were strange. They appeared darker than before. Their hands were branded with some kind of mark they said the priests had given them for protection. When they spoke, they sounded…empty."

"Empty."

"Cold…desolate…distant. There's nothing in them anymore. There's no feeling inside of them. Their voices are toneless. They feel cold to the touch, and they speak in riddles. It's almost as if they're walking dead. There's no life inside of them. They're emptier than Zo'or."

"And you want me to help you find out what's going on? Why do you care?"

"Because Reyes knew…and he got killed for it. I want to know what was so important that someone was willing to sacrifice him to keep it secret. Also, I…"

"Fear that the priests might have the same thing planned for humanity," Liam figured out.

"Yes. I think the Taelons are the priests' guinea pigs right now for an operation they plan to use on humanity. If they can do it to the Taelons, they can surely do it to humanity."

"So you've gone from existentialist to humanist in just three weeks. That's something."

"I've become a humanist ever since Da'an was put to death."

"Is that what they've been telling you happened?"

"What else could have happened?"

"Come on, Sandoval. We all know that if Da'an was alive, the Synod wouldn't tell us."

"Your faith in your former master is exceptional."

"He was your master too."

Sandoval rolled his eyes. "The Synod killed Da'an. I saw them do it myself. I was the one who took Da'an to the prisoner's deck to be terminated. Zo'or did so when he learned of Da'an's resistance affiliations. Zo'or did not want Da'an standing in his way of conquest."

"Conquest of what?"

"Just tell me you will help me or go back to Washington where you belong," Sandoval said tonelessly.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because you're just as curious about the priests as I am. We both know that's the real reason you're here."

Liam paced around the deck trying to think of what to say. He knew that Sandoval could get him on the Moonbase unnoticed, but he also knew that taking Sandoval would mean leaving Renee, Link and Da'an here, and there was no way he could rescue Mi'en without them. Da'an seemed to know more about this than she was letting on, and she had to be there with him in case something went wrong. As for Renee and Link, he was not about to leave them here to get captured, especially Renee. But then, if he objected, there was no easier way he could think of towards getting on that base. Maybe Da'an knew something.

When he turned back to Sandoval, something caught his eye. Just past Sandoval was a corridor with three people standing at its opening. They must have left the shuttle while Liam had distracted Sandoval. His focus turned to Da'an, who was looking at him with sharp eyes.

"Give him what he wants," she mouthed.

Liam was stunned by what he thought he had seen her say, and his eyes widened as if looking for confirmation. Da'an understood the gesture, nodded, and mouthed it again.

Liam sighed. His gut was telling him that this was a bad idea. "I'm not quite ready to trust you yet," he told Sandoval, "but you're right. I am curious. Let's do it."

"Good. Then, follow me."

Liam looked back at the corridor. The three had disappeared.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: The Garden

Sandoval and Liam suited up and made their way to the medical wing. Sandoval had said that was where the sick were being transferred. The whole time they walked, Liam was searching for his friends, but they were nowhere to be found. Whatever Da'an was doing, she was doing it well. Sandoval stopped Liam's train of thought as the number of people grew. Liam could hear the moans of sick Taelons and the thundering footsteps of volunteers and implants rushing them the portals as quickly as they could. Once they reached the medical wing, Liam saw the burst of activity for himself. There had to be at least fifty Taelons inside or parked outside of the wing in stretchers. Volunteers were pulling them to two portals at the end of the corridor as fast as they could in groups of five. As the stretchers passed, Liam saw the blushing, pained faces of Taelons he either knew personally or had seen on the Mothership. They were all doctors, scientists and mathematicians that he had met through Da'an or when he had a case that required the use of a Taelon scientist. He tried to look for Mi'en, but, as he had expected, she was nowhere to be found.

"Major!" Sandoval whispered nudging him in the back. "Pay attention."

"I…can't believe this," Liam said lost in the confusion.

"Believe it," Sandoval said. "We need to grab one of those stretchers and pretend like we're volunteers. On my signal, we're going to run in there and grab the first one we can. Are you ready?"

Liam shook the astonishment from his system and said, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm ready."

Sandoval counted to three and then, with Liam by his side, made a mad dash for the infirmary. They grabbed a stretcher and pushed it towards the portal. There was so much activity that no one bothered to look at them as they went. After maneuvering through the corridor past stretchers and implants, they reached one of the portals. Liam took the short opportunity to look down at the sick Taelon. It was Ta'lay.

"I can't believe it. I just talked to him," Liam whispered to himself.

The pain had been so agonizing for Ta'lay that he had lost consciousness. Sympathy suddenly rippled through Liam's body, and he reached to grab Ta'lay's hand in a vain effort to comfort him. Before he could, however, they had reached the Moonbase and were moving again. Shouting volunteers directed them down a long hallway until they reached a giant dome that had to be the size of the Astrodome in Houston with beds stacked all around the edge. This was where the Taelons were being kept until they could see the priests. Each bed appeared to have a portal attached to it. Every five to ten minutes a Taelon would disappear. Volunteers would then rush to that bed as quickly as possible and place a new Taelon in the empty bed. When Liam and Sandoval's turn came, they rushed Ta'lay to an empty bed and carefully placed him there. They were far away enough from the volunteers so that they could slip out of the dome and down a separate hallway without being noticed.

* * *

"This is stupid," Link said to Renee as they rushed down a deserted hallway towards Central Command.

"It's what Da'an told us to do."

"It's still stupid," Link said stubbornly.

"Look, I'll admit that I think this is not the best plan in the world either, but Da'an knows what she's doing…usually," Renee said.

"What if they don't get there by the time we get to Central Command? What if they both get captured before we get to Central Command? Do you know a way off this damn Pentagon-wannabe?"

"If anyone can get out of this alive, it's them. And once we get to Central Command, we'll have access to our own escape routes. It was this way or no way at all."

"Man, she'd better be worth all of this," Link said to himself.

"What?" Renee asked.

"Nothing, we're here," Link said stopping at the portal that would take them to Central Command.

* * *

After Liam left with Sandoval, Da'an led Renee and Link to another portal. She reprogrammed it to take them to an area on the Moonbase well away from all the commotion. Then, she told them to stick with their original jobs and get to Central Command. She would go on to find Mi'en alone and hopefully meet up with Liam.

Despite Link's very adamant objections, Da'an raced in the opposite direction to another portal. Because the Moonbase was so large, the only way to get around was via portal. She programmed the portal to send her to the section where the priests were said to be and stepped in, ready for anything.

Once she reached her destination, Da'an immediately looked around and listened to make sure she had not tripped any alarms. She slowly walked down the hallway, watching for anything that might trigger an alarm. When she reached the end of the hallway, Da'an was startled by a ghastly discovery.

She had portalled right into the fields, the facility where the Taelons had originally harvested humans for kryss. The factory was shut down after Dr. Curzon had developed the substitute, but apparently they had not torn it down. So this was where the priests were "curing" Taelons. Fitting.

As she walked in, she found one of the priests tending to the plants in the fields. She cautiously stepped forward to try and pass him without incident.

"Come closer, my child," the priest said. "A young one such as you should not be intimidated by us."

"I am not young," Da'an said.

"Only by comparison to humanity. I am millennia older than you will ever be," the priest said. "Please, speak to me."

"I hardly believe the high priest wants any of his fellows speaking with me, and I have not come here to comfort you."

The priest said nothing and continued his tending to the garden. Da'an wanted to continue on for Mi'en, but a part of her still wanted to remain and speak with the priest. She could not decipher the feeling that drew her to him. She theorized that it was some remnant of her Taelon ways longing to return to her brethren and the Commonality, but that would not explain the underlying feeling of sadness she felt emanating from this priest. He reminded Da'an of Nye: compassionate and wise, but sad.

"Why do you tend to these plants?" Da'an asked.

"Because no one else will."

"Why would they? These plants represent a dark and shameful period for the Taelons and humanity."

"Is that the fault of the plants or the fault of their masters? Why should this beautiful garden die at its master's expense? Perhaps they require a new master to rebuild and renew them, a master that will love and care for them and allow them to prosper once more."

Da'an understood. "Is that why you are doing this to the Taelons?"

"Perhaps. How are these plants any different from our brethren? The Synod was once their master. The Synod's job was to protect them, nourish them, and provide them with a world in which they could prosper. However, the Synod grew selfish and corrupt. Humanity's blasphemous ideals poisoned their minds, and the Commonality began to wither and die from neglect. We were put on this world by the Kimera to take charge and protect our brethren when others could not. The Synod is why this garden has begun to die. It is our job to cleanse the poison that lingers in each plant and restore the garden to its former beauty and glory."

Da'an looked around at the withering plants. This priest confused her. She could sense the genuine concern inside of him for his people. "Are you…the Priest of Responsibility?"

He turned and gazed at her directly with that black mask. "I am."

"Why do you not disguise your voice like the other priests? I thought the voice masks were for your protection?"

"As are the face masks, the gloves, and the oversized robes," the Priest of Responsibility added. "However, in our effort to protect ourselves, we have also erected a barrier against our people. We have turned ourselves from the tangible blessed mortals we once were into empty godlike idols requiring worship and satisfaction. We were not always this way, and you know that more than any of us. Although you may not remember it, you once lived and walked among us for several years under our protection. You have seen my face numerous times and have heard my voice as frequently as you have your own child's. How else could you have recognized me?"

"Why do these plants have to have a master? Plants prospered on their own long before sentient beings took it upon themselves to domesticate them."

"You believe that is best for our species, and I, unlike the High Priest of Light, respect your decision to be free. I respect anyone with enough strength to resist the poison of the blue rose. Was it a calm feeling when you felt yourself dying?"

"At first, no. It was painful. However…I think it was painful only because I was afraid. When I ceased being afraid, a blissful calm overtook me. It is so much easier to let yourself die than to live and face your own demons."

"I understand, like you understand that the Taelons became domesticated the moment the Commonality was created. It cannot survive without a master to tend to its needs. It is a single consciousness made up of spirits that feed and protect it. A Taelon life has no meaning without the Commonality."

"Is that how you see me?"

"You are not a Taelon, child. You are an Espelon, ridden with the burden of creating your own meaning of life."

"Do you believe that there will ever come a time when other Taelons are ready to create their own meaning as well?"

"I do. It will be the day that we die and are never reincarnated again."

"What if it came earlier than that?"

"As in now?"

"Possibly."

"If that truly was the case, and we are the last generation of priests, then it is our duty to aid the Taelons on their passage to freedom and individuality. However, the majority of our people do not want this freedom. Many of them fear it."

"Then, why not let that small minority become free and leave the rest to your care?"

"Because simply letting them go burdens them with devolution. If only it was so easy as to free them and send them on their way. However, the punishment for breaking away from the Commonality is the wrath of the beast. Once you domesticate any living being, it is all the more difficult to set them free. The Taelon's need for the Commonality will cease only when there comes a time when Taelons can break away without devolving."

"But Taelons are already doing that. I have met the Espelons you cut off when they refused to come to Earth."

"But the Espelons are not Taelons, child. A Taelon is asexual. The Espelons are not."

"Taelons are asexual because you compelled us to be that way."

"Do you truly believe that we have such control over the Commonality that we can direct the path of our own evolution? If so, why would we choose asexuality?"

"Only the masters can set their followers free. If that was your true desire for the Taelons, you could easily make it happen. Whoever controls the Commonality controls the Taelon path of evolution. What you fail to see is the corruption of your own master. He does not care for the well being of the Taelons. Your power is fueled by the Commonality. The Commonality is what makes you gods, and the high priest has been a god for far too long to simply let it go even when it's time. He is manipulating you into believing that this cleansing is what's best for us, but you know it is not. The Taelons _are_ ready to be free. How long has it been since someone put it in their mind that controlling the Commonality would make them as godlike as the priests? When was the last time a Taelon actually acted on that mindset?"

The Priest of Responsibility sighed. "Never."

"The continued dissention of Taelon people deems that they are ready to be free. Instead of cleansing that desire from their minds, why not nurture it and make the transition as simple and as painless as possible? You can help Taelons like me free themselves without risking their lives with the blue rose."

"It is too late for this, child. I am sorry."

"You are not like the high priest. You have dignity and compassion. You take your responsibility seriously. You are just like me."

The Priest of Responsibility removed his gloves and approached Da'an. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and caressed her façade. "Life has no meaning without the Commonality. Our purpose is to create that meaning for our species." He raised his hand to summon someone from behind Da'an. An energy pistol poked Da'an in the back. "When you return to us, you will appreciate the meaning we create for you. Only we know what is best for you. Only we can protect you."

Da'an turned to face the one behind her. It was Mi'en. Her eyes were dark blue and empty. The expression on her face was cold, callous, and deprived of all the life it once had. Da'an turned and sadly gazed into the eyes behind the black mask of the priest. "You are so much better than this. We all are."

The priest nodded for Mi'en to take her away and continued to tend to the garden.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Rescue Me

T'than and Zo'or portalled to the Moonbase the same way Da'an, Renee and Link had. They found themselves in the hallway to the fields.

"Do you sense that?" Zo'or asked T'than.

"I do. We are not alone here."

"The priests are behind this hallway," Zo'or said. "We must find a way to pass them without detection."

"Do not fear the wrath of the priests. There will come a time when we will be compelled to face them, but this is not that time. They know this, Zo'or. Their focus is on Da'an at this moment. They will not shield us from the truth."

"Very well. After you," Zo'or said skeptically.

T'than rolled his eyes and continued forward.

* * *

Liam and Sandoval were inside a shaft of the Moonbase designed for technicians. It was too small for them to stand, so they found themselves crawling to the cleansing room.

"I don't get you sometimes, Sandoval," Liam said. "Whose side are you on exactly?"

"Whose side are _you_ on, Major?" Sandoval asked back.

"Humanity's side," Liam said, "and whenever there comes a time when I have to put humanity's interests before the Taelons' I will. What about you?"

"I don't trust the Taelons as far as I can throw them, but I know just as well as anyone that humanity will never have me, not after the cardinal rules I have violated. Therefore, in answer to your question, I am on the side of myself. I do what I have to in order to survive, and if that comes into conflict with your petty ideals, so be it. If the opposite occurs, good for you."

"That has got to be the most selfish thing I've ever heard."

"I'm a selfish man in case you haven't noticed." He stopped Liam from continuing. "This should be directly over the alleged cleansing room." He placed a charge underneath him. "Count to twenty."

They both crawled as fast as they could from the charge counting to twenty in their heads. The charge detonated blowing a small hole that led to the cleansing chamber. The two had managed to dodge the bulk of the explosion, but when Liam rose to assess himself, he found his jacket charred on the back and had to take it off. Sandoval had to do the same with his suit jacket.

"How do you do all of this and still manage to wear a suit and tie at the same time?" Liam asked. "Isn't it uncomfortable?"

"If Kevin Costner can pretend to do it in 'The Bodyguard,' then I sure as hell can do it for real," Sandoval said.

Liam scoffed and pushed Sandoval in the direction of the hole. Sandoval removed a wound cable he had been hiding in his jacket pocket and stuck the hook above the hole. The cable wound down from its casing as he slid into the room. Liam followed his lead.

"Besides," Sandoval added, "just because you have no class in the case of your chosen wardrobe for work doesn't mean that I can't either."

"Hey! I'll have you know this jacket cost me five hundred dollars," Liam said firmly.

"Amateurs wear civilian clothes. Professionals wear suits and ties. Boone did it. Why can't you?"

"You have got to be the most hypocritical elitist since Mattress Mac. Let's just keep moving."

As they moved forward, they came to a large circle with blue lights shining over it. The bodies in the dome were coming here in groups of sixteen. The high priest was at the center of the circle. Four priests stood on four sides of the high priest, overseeing four of the sixteen Taelons each. They would chant a spell in a tongue of Taelon Liam couldn't decipher and a white light would shine over the sixteen Taelons. The high priest would then stand and place his hands in the air, releasing his own power and turning the light blue. Several minutes later, the sixteen Taelons would blush and rise. After departing from their beds, they all bowed to the priests, chanting a prayer in that same indiscernible tongue. The priests would bless them, one by one, by marking them on their hands. Then, they would be asked to leave. They walked to a portal on the far side of them room and portalled back to the Mothership or wherever else they belonged.

"I feel like I'm watching a mass baptism," Sandoval whispered.

"Because that's exactly what you're watching," Liam said. "The Taelons aren't infected with any virus. That was a ploy the priests used to get the Taelons to come here and submit to their mind control."

"Oh no, Major. There is a virus. It's us," Sandoval said. "Humanity's the virus, and the priests are using their powers to make the Taelons sick and come here for 'curing.'"

"We have to get these Taelons out of here."

"You can't stand against the fury of the priests. Now that we've seen the priests' plan for ourselves, we have to prepare humanity."

"What self-respecting human would believe all of this? What self-respecting human would care? They don't think the priests are going to do this to them. As long as it's not happening to them, they won't do a damn thing about it."

"Then, to hell with them. I came for satisfaction, and that's what I have. You do what you have to do, but I'm at least going to save myself."

"Fine," Liam said bitterly. "Go ahead and walk. I guess it's what you're best at."

"I'm not here to answer to your conscience, Major. I answer to my own," Sandoval said. He rushed back to the hole and used the cable to climb out. However, he did not leave quickly. He removed his global and remained to record what he had seen. Then, he left.

Liam rushed to the wall and began searching for a way out by feeling against the bioslurry.

Neither was aware that the high priest had been watching their treachery the whole time.

* * *

Mi'en forced Da'an to the cleansing room where the high priest was waiting.

"Tell me that there is some part of the old you that lingers, Mi'en," Da'an said.

"That is none of your concern," Mi'en said tonelessly. "Your thought has become infected. You must be cleansed."

"You do not believe that, Mi'en," Da'an said. "You are my friend."

"I am a servant of the priests. The priests decide who my friends are," Mi'en said. "The priests know what is best for me, and they know what is best for you. Do not fear, Da'an. The cleansing is short and painless. In mere minutes, your soul will be renewed."

"My soul is already renewed," Da'an said. She jerked around and attempted to grab the pistol before Mi'en could stop her, but Mi'en was too quick. She grabbed Da'an's arm and used it to force her to her knees. "Mi'en, what I do, I do because I care for you." An unseen force threw Mi'en to the floor and pried the pistol from her hands.

"That is a traitorous act," Mi'en said firmly. She crawled as fast as she could to the discarded pistol, but Da'an was too quick. Da'an stepped on the gun and crushed it before Mi'en could get to it. "What will you do to me now?"

"I want to help you, Mi'en," Da'an said.

"The priests are my help now," Mi'en growled. A burst of blue energy left Mi'en and threw Da'an on her back. She rose and dashed towards Da'an in an effort to tackle her, but Da'an used her legs to prop Mi'en up and over her.

They both rose as fast as they could and faced each other.

"You are not this person, Mi'en," Da'an said. "You are a sweet and loving person. You pledged your loyalty to me."

"I cowered for you. I cowered for all your kind. Be honest with yourself. You do not care about me. All I am is a servant to you."

"No, Mi'en. I am not your master anymore than you are my servant. You know me better than that."

"But _you_ don't know anything about me!" Mi'en said. She used her hand to make a brilliant flash of light that blinded Da'an long enough for Mi'en to wrestle her to the ground and pull her hands behind her back.

Da'an used all her strength to rise with Mi'en still clinging to her back and forced herself on her back in order to pin Mi'en. It worked. She had stunned Mi'en enough to break free and pin her down by holding her arm against Mi'en's neck. An orb of energy formed in her hand, and instinctively, Da'an held it over Mi'en's head.

"Kill me. Do it now," Mi'en said. "Isn't that what you want?"

"You cannot believe that," Da'an said sympathetically.

"Why not? No one cares for me. People have been giving me dirty looks ever since I was a child. My own brother does not even think of me as a person. He believes I am nothing more than a thing, a mistake of nature. They all do," Mi'en whimpered. "No one admires me for my skills. I was just kidding myself. They can all tell me that my skills surpass my illness, but that's not what they think. I will always be judged by who I am, never by what I do! All they ever do is watch me, wait for me to screw up, and hurl insults and judgments. I am a shell, a hole, a hollowed fruit! Nobody will ever care for me but the priests."

"You are wrong, Mi'en. You could not be more wrong," Da'an said, releasing her. "I care for you. I came all this way for you, Mi'en, and only you."

Mi'en sat up to face her and looked into her eyes. For a moment, those empty, dark blue eyes became light again, and Mi'en took Da'an's hand. Suddenly, Mi'en threw her against the floor and wrapped her hands around her neck. "You cannot know the pain that I have felt," she said as she strangled Da'an. "You barely even know _me_! You never came here for me. You came here for yourself, in your own crusade to destroy the only people who care for me. You sit there and play with us Taelons like we're toys!"

"No Mi'en," Da'an wheezed. "I do not know your pain, and I never will. I do not know you…and I am sorry I never…made an attempt. But…I do care for you. I want to be your friend, and all I want…is for you to be happy. I want to know you…Mi'en…because-because you came to me."

Mi'en's arms began to tremble, and Da'an could feel her grip loosening, but it was not loose enough.

"I…I want you to be happy," Da'an said feeling herself weakening. "If no one else wants that of you, I do. And…if this is what will make you happy, then do it."

Mi'en began to whimper, and her form began to blush painfully. "I…I…"

"Fight it, Mi'en. I know you can."

"I…" Mi'en's eyes found their original sky blue color again. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. "I…can't," she strained. She released Da'an from her grip.

Da'an turned over and coughed until the pain in her throat was gone. When she gained her composure, she rose and turned to find Mi'en hunched on her knees weeping.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I'm so sorry. I just…wanted to be accepted by someone. I didn't want to be alone anymore."

"You're never alone," Da'an said softly. "You have me."

"You're never going to forgive me for this," Mi'en panted.

"Of course not, because there is nothing _to_ forgive," Da'an said. "Now, come with me. We have one more thing to rectify before we can leave this place."

* * *

Liam managed to find an exit and dashed down the corridor. Suddenly, he ran into Da'an and Mi'en.

"Da'an!" he cried and embraced her. "Mi'en, you're okay!"

"Yes, I suppose," Mi'en said uneasily.

"We have to get out of here," Liam said. "The priests are converting all the Taelons, turning them into mindless slaves."

"I know, Liam," Da'an said. "I knew it after I learned of Mi'en's capture."

"Can we stop it, then?" Mi'en asked. "No Taelon should have to be put through this."

"We cannot save them unless they want to be saved," Da'an said. "Liam, have Renee and Link reached Command Central?"

"They haven't called me if they have," Liam said.

"Send a message to them anyway, and tell them to deactivate the power in sector six," Da'an said. "When the power goes off, you take Mi'en to the nearest portal you can find. Auxiliary power will take over, and you will then be able to leave."

"What about you?" Liam asked. "Where are you going?"

"I need to know something," Da'an said.

"Whatever it is, it's not worth your life," Liam said. "Those priests killed Reyes and then captured Mi'en to trap you. If you go that way, you'll fall right into their hands. You're giving them what they want."

"Is it what they want, or is it what the high priest wants?" Da'an asked.

"It isn't the question of which one of them wants it. They're all the same."

"I am not entirely certain of that. That is why I have to go."

Mi'en grabbed Da'an's arm.

"I am coming back, Mi'en. I promise you."

Liam and Mi'en reluctantly nodded. "Do what you have to do," Liam told her. Then, he removed his global and followed Mi'en out. "Renee, Link, whenever you get this, cut the power in sector six. Repeat. Cut the power in sector six."

Da'an walked quickly into the cleansing chamber, where sixteen more Taelons were being prepped for cleansing. Da'an removed a small radio from her arm sleeve and contacted Link.

"Are you in Central Command?" Da'an whispered.

"It wasn't easy, but yeah," Link said. "Liam just told us to cut the power."

"And I want you to, but before you do, I want you to take control of the audio system."

"You heard the lady, Renee."

"Give me a second," Renee's voice said. "I gotta figure out which one of these does that. No. No. No. There! Okay. I got it. What do you want, Da'an?"

"I am going to keep my radio on, and I want you to hold your end to the PA," Da'an said. "Keep it there until I tell you to cut the power." She then placed the radio under her sleeve and continued forward.

The high priest felt Da'an's presence and stopped the cleansing. "Ah, Da'an, the fallen one. I see that you have freed Mi'en, and yet you still came to me. Perhaps you finally have seen the error of your ways."

"Nothing could be further from the truth, High Priest of Light," Da'an said. "I knew that you used Reyes's death to lure me here, and when that did not work, you captured and converted my friend. What I want to know is who did you send to kill poor Reyes and why?"

The high priest chuckled. "If only it were that simple. Seize her."

Four Taelons came and surrounded Da'an with energy weapons.

"You intend to convert me," Da'an said unaffected by the guards, "even though you know that you will kill me in doing so."

"No one leaves the Commonality, Da'an," the high priest said. "Your life is meaningless without the Commonality."

"My life belongs to me now, and it is my duty to create meaning for it, not yours. Be honest. This is not about what is best for the Taelons. This is about what is best for yourself."

"Do not poison the minds of these innocent Taelons with your lies, whelp. The Taelons have been infected with a virus, a virus that has unpurified their minds and clouded their judgment with useless emotions and desires."

"That does not sound like a virus to me. That sounds like an evolution," Da'an said.

"It is a _revolution_. And that is the virus, child, one that threatens to bring the Commonality on itself creating catastrophe. Without the Commonality, these Taelons will become mindless beasts with no reason and no logic."

"Oh really? Then, why have I managed to successfully break away without devolution? Why are those Taelons you expelled from the Commonality just because they refused to come to Earth still alive and well today?"

"The Espelons?"

"Yes. I have seen them, and that is why I know that our species no longer needs the Commonality. We are ready to be individuals. We are ready to evolve to the next level, and instead of embracing this change, you resist it by turning us into slaves. Our species is dying because of this religion you have wrought upon us expelling anything that is not enjoyable or unique. And what is worse is that you do not do this for our protection. You do it for yourselves. All you want is to force us to serve the Commonality because you know that the more Taelons there are, the more power the Commonality has. The Commonality is what fuels your powers. Without it, you would have to simply accept your own mortality and be doomed like the rest of us."

"Lies! What you speak of is blasphemy!"

"Is that what your fellows think?" Da'an stared at the four priests next to the high priest. She held up her scarred hand for them to see. "Tell me what you remember about my ritual."

"Fellows!" the high priest yelled. "Do not let this blasphemer corrupt your mission. Leave her to me. I will make certain that she sees the error of her ways. Go to the meditation chamber and isolate yourselves from this witchery."

Three of the four priests took the hands of the fourth priest and teleported. The four Taelons who had surrounded Da'an were also asked to leave. Now it was just Da'an and the high priest once again.

"Those Espelons are abominations. They can no longer be considered Taelon. The Taelons are the only pure energy species. You once understood this."

"That was before I realized your selfishness. You used me like a puppet to further your own purposes as you would these innocent Taelons. Your egotism is what keeps our species from prospering."

"We will purify the Taelons with our gifts as is our duty. The Taelons will be able to reproduce through humanity. We will defeat the Jaridians through humanity, and our species will prosper."

"By using another species as a surrogate? How can you possibly consider that righteous?"

"Humanity is of no importance to the Taelons nor to us. Humanity brings nothing to the Commonality. All we care for is the survival of the Taelons."

"What of those Taelons who decide that they do not want to be a part of the Commonality anymore?"

"Those are the Taelons that have become infected with the virus, and they are who will be cleansed."

"What virus?"

"Humanity! Humanity's primitive ways have infected us all. The Commonality is so weakened that corrupt forces from the Synod threaten its integrity. We will purify all of these wrongdoers and make them strong. The Commonality cannot become a subject of descent. We will all suffer and perish for that reason. It is resistors like you who create discord in the Commonality. Soon, you will see the error of your ways, and you shall be restored to your former glory. A holy war is starting, Da'an, and you can either join the side of the purists and survive, or you can continue your sinful ways and be cast into the bowels of hell."

"I answer to my own conscience now, and soon, the rest of the Taelons will as well."

The high priest fired a beam of energy at Da'an. A strange instinct flashed a white light in front of Da'an. When the light was gone, she was well away from the beam and completely unscathed.

"Your newfound psychic abilities cannot compare to the power of the Commonality!" the high priest said.

"Is this why you killed Reyes? Because he knew about your plans and was trying to warn the Taelons? Who did you send? Some poor mind slave you manipulated?"

"We purified the Taelon before we sent him to kill Reyes," the priest said, "and freed him of all blame. He has been forgiven of his sins for his act of bravery and loyalty. As for Reyes, he meant nothing to us. It could have just as well been some other human. We just wanted to entice you to us so that we could save you. _You_ are the one who has made Reyes's death in vain by shying away from us. Reyes has no one to blame but you. His death would have meant something if you have come to us sooner, but you did not. Instead you resisted, and we had to use a dear friend to entice you. You would sacrifice your own friends for yourself."

"If I chose to sacrifice Mi'en for myself, I would not have come here, you monster."

"Did you honestly think you could catch me so unaware, Da'an? I have been aware of your frivolous plan to draw out my admission that I do not care for the Taelons since you walked in. You will never be able to manipulate me towards such blasphemy. I am a holy man, and you are a traitor. We tried to save you. We gave you numerous opportunities to be saved, but your corruption is too severe. It is clear to me now that the only way for you to understand the ill of your ways is to die. May I be forgiven for what I must do for the good of our kind!"

The high priest used telekinesis to hold Da'an in midair. Da'an tried to break free by using her own telekinesis, but the priest was too powerful. He approached Da'an and thrust his free hand out. Da'an felt her strength begin to wane as the priest drained her of her life force.

"No one humiliates me and gets away with it," the high priest whispered.

It took all of Da'an's strength to bring the hidden radio up to her lips. "Link! Cut the power!"

What little light was in the room went dark. The high priest was confused for a moment, but he continued to hold firmly to Da'an. Nothing was going to keep him from killing her this time.

Suddenly, a wave of fire burst in front of the high priest and forced him to let her go in order to shield himself. He heard the sound of her body hit the floor and retreating footsteps. Several minutes later, auxiliary power finally came on, but Da'an was gone. The high priest looked around to assess the damage and saw two angry blue eyes staring at him. Before he could get a closer look at the owners of those eyes, they were gone, but the high priest did not need to see their faces. He already knew who they were.

Da'an had found the hole in the ceiling that Liam and Sandoval had created and used it to get out of the room. She crawled and crawled until she came to an opening that led to a portal.

"Link, Renee, are you two all right?" Da'an asked.

"We're on our way out," Link said. "Where are you?"

"I am on my way to a portal. Do not portal to the Mothership. I will meet you at St. Michael's Church."

"Don't need to tell us twice," Renee said. "Good luck."

Da'an switched off the radio and picked up her pace, but something stopped her before she could get to the portal.

A large group of Taelons was standing in front of her way out just staring at her. A few she recognized, but most she didn't.

Liam slowly maneuvered through the crowd and walked up to Da'an. "They heard what the high priest said on the PA," he whispered uneasily, "and they believe you. They want to be free like you. I told them to let you decide."

Da'an gazed at all those eyes pleading for an answer. "How many?"

"Forty-seven," Liam replied.

Da'an was surprised. "I had expected less." She stepped at the center of the crowd so that they could all hear her. "You are making a decision that will affect you for the rest of your life. From now on, you will be outcasts just like me."

There was complete silence. All the group did was stare at her.

"You do this because you want freedom, but it will take a long time to free yourselves, and it is not easy. It nearly killed me."

"What's worse is that as long as you are not free, the priests will be watching you," Mi'en said. "They may retaliate via the Commonality."

The silence continued. Da'an decided that they had already contemplated every ill outcome of which she had just warned. All they wanted now was a response, a confirmation that they could join. They had made their decision and they were willing to die for it.

"They're just as stubborn as you, Liam," Da'an whispered.

"Which is probably why they chose to resist in the first place," Liam added.

"True," Da'an said. "You are going to require a bigger facility."

"One thing at a time, Da'an," Liam chuckled. He faced the crowd. "Welcome to the resistance, everyone. Let's move!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: And This Time, I Hope You Have Pleasant Dreams

With Liam's help, Link managed to close the investigation of Reyes's death. Link went to the family to give them the name of Reyes's killer as he had promised. The official report was that a disgruntled volunteer killed Reyes in a domestic dispute. Link didn't have the heart to tell them who the real killer was. He knew that there was no closure with the truth. The wife offered him his check for his services, but Link declined. He only asked for half. He told her to spend the rest on giving Reyes a decent burial. Then, he returned to his loft.

He was surprised to find the lights out with the alarm system off, and contemplated going outside to call the police. But he could sense who was in the room with him just as he had sensed her the day they first met. He switched on the light to find her sitting on his couch overlooking a manila folder.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked opening the folder.

"Where'd you get that?" Link asked solemnly, locking the door behind him.

"After you told me that you had participated in a Taelon experiment, I asked Mr. Urick to give me the file. Why didn't you tell me?"

Link sighed uneasily. "Because the moment I figured out who you were, I knew you'd react to it this way."

"You should have told me. You should have told me the moment you advanced on me."

"Yeah. I should've," Link said sitting next to her. "There were different groups involved in the experiment. The Taelons wanted to see how it would affect disabled people like me and fully healthy people like Johnson, and they used the military because it was easier to find volunteers and they knew the military would be more cooperative. They told us about everything they expected. They said it was likely that my body wouldn't take the changes well and that I could die. Stupid me figured I had nothing left to lose, so I signed the papers. I met Lucas for just a second. We were just about to get divided into our groups and we were trading old war stories. He was a great guy with a hell of a record. I couldn't figure out what someone like him was doing in there, but I never asked. That's the last I saw of him."

"Was it painful?"

"Excruciating. I can't even begin to describe exactly how they made me the way I am. All I remember is the pain. It took two months of therapy to get me used to the changes, and the pain didn't go away until the first month was over. From what I understand, they reconstructed my entire nervous system down there. Some of us adapted to the change, but most of us didn't. Of course I didn't find that out until after I read about your kidnapping and heard your ransom tape on the news. Then, I figured it out. I was one of the luckiest guys in that experiment. The alterations made on my legs were designed to reactivate my nerves and strengthen my muscles. As a side effect, the energy enhanced my entire body and my mind. My metabolism's as strong as it was when I was in my teens, meaning I can eat pretty much anything and not gain a pound. I'm more energetic. My senses were heightened, and my muscular system is and always will be at the prime of my age. When I went to the doctor for my last evaluation, he also said that I'm probably gonna age slower than most humans. In one simulation, he estimated that I'll probably make it to 150, and if I keep taking my energy supplements and stay active, I'll probably still look like this."

"You are more Taelon than human now, which explains why you require less sleep. Your heightened senses keep you awake."

"Actually, my heightened senses make my dreams a hell of a lot more vivid, and so far, they haven't been good ones. Therefore, if I can help it, which I can, I don't sleep."

"Lucas Johnson was my friend," Da'an said. "It was my species' fault that he deteriorated, and it was my fault that he died. I took him to our scientists in hopes that they could save him. Instead they used him as a guinea pig. I have enough trouble dealing with his loss. I cannot imagine how many others are out there whose lives have been ruined because of that experiment."

Link moved to the coffee table and sat in front of her so that she could look him directly in the eyes. "You listen to me. That experiment was the best thing that ever happened to me. I haven't spoken to my family since they disowned me for joining the marines. I got pulled into a war that I didn't even believe in, and I lost my legs to it. You think Johnson got gypped? Imagine getting screwed by your own species, your own country. After I lost the use of my legs, I spent six months in therapy learning how to get around in a goddamn wheelchair. I had to learn where the ramps were in my college and take those sympathetic looks on my classmates' and my professors' faces when I didn't get in on time. When I took the shuttle to class, it would take ten minutes just to load me on, and then I'd have to deal with the looks of those ungrateful jerks that could walk as if I was somehow inconveniencing them. They expected my lifespan to be cut by seventeen years, and to top all that off, I couldn't find a job even when I got out of grad. school because the job market sucked that badly. I was living like a deadbeat off my disability checks from the military. Then, the Taelons came, and gave me back everything I lost and more. Now, I can't vouch for Johnson or anyone else who got hurt in that experiment. I really can't, but all I do know is that if fifty men hate you for that experiment, you're always gonna have one to thank you."

"I suppose that should make it all worthwhile."

"It doesn't. I know it doesn't, but it sure as hell eases the burden, doesn't it?"

Da'an looked up to face Link. "Yes. Yes, it does."

"That's why I know this is gonna work. Even with all the odds stacked against you, there's always a little bit of good in everything. Thank you, Da'an, for giving me my life back. I am forever grateful to you, and I am willing to follow you and whatever you do until the end."

"You honestly believe that you love me so?"

"I don't know what I believe. All I do know is that what I feel with you is nothing like anything I've ever felt, and I'm willing to see this through. Please tell me you are too."

Da'an looked at the file next to Link, and then she looked back at him. She smiled. "Rembrandt, thank _you_."

He showered her with kisses and embraced her form. Then, he took her hand and opened himself to her. The sharing was the most intimate and emotional Da'an had ever experienced. When it was over, she found him sleeping on her chest still holding her hand.

"And this time, I hope you have pleasant dreams."

The End


End file.
